Family Wars
by Money Stax
Summary: Family is everything. No one knows that better than the Pokemon trainers at the wealthy and prestigious Eastern Heights Academy. Everyone protects their own and that's the way it is. If someone hurts your family, you hurt theirs. It's a vicious cycle that always ends up badly and McNamara Corporation will exploit it for all its worth. OC's are closed.
1. The Shaylers

**A/N: This is an idea I've had for a while, so yeah, I'm going to see how it works out.**

* * *

**The Shaylers**

Stephanie Shayler smiled to herself as she glanced at the calender on the scarlet wall of her office. It was her favorite time of year and she immediately planned on celebrating. The blonde woman quickly made her way out of her office, past the large kitchen of the manor, and entered the wine cellar. It only took her seconds to find the bottle of champagne she was searching for. She grinned as she clutched the bottle in her hand and headed back into the kitchen.

"_Nana__!_"

The soft sound of her granddaughter's voice interrupted Stephanie's thoughts. She glanced down to see a toddler girl with jet black hair running towards her at full speed. Stephanie sat the bottle of champagne down on the counter and picked the young girl off the floor.

"What are you doing down here, Marcella?" she cooed. "Come on, let's look for your father."

Stephanie walked towards the den with Marcella in her arms, muttering about how she was too young to be a grandmother. It had been the talk of the town when the eldest son of the Shayler family had gotten the Woods girl with child and the news had spread like wildfire. Despite their enmity with the Shaylers, the Tremaines had little to say about the matter from what Stephanie had heard. Then again, neither she nor her husband cared what those criminals thought about them.

She stepped into the den and smiled. The den of Shayler Manor impressed her every time she stepped foot into it and it still looked as extravagant as it did when she had married Colton Shayler twenty years earlier. The walls were a burnt orange color with majestic paintings of Arcanine, the Shayler Pokémon symbol. The furniture and carpet were cream-colored with a fireplace in the center of the north wall. However, the most noticeable feature of the room was the spiral staircase that led upstairs. Stephanie could hear the sounds of the children playing roughly upstairs and decided that it was time to put an end to it. She needed to speak with each of them before they left for Eastern Heights.

"Marcus!" she shouted. "Come down here!"

She took a seat on the sofa with Marcella in her lap as she waited for her oldest child to come down. A minute or so later, he hurried down the steps with his faithful Arcanine following behind him. Marc grabbed his daughter from Stephanie's lap and playfully threw her in the air a few times before placing the laughing child on Arcanine's back and taking a seat across from his mother.

"What did you need?" he asked her. "We're all packed and everything. We just have to get Edwin's uniform and that's it."

"You also have to take Marcella to her mother's," Stephanie remarked. "Listen, I'm glad that you decided to step up and take care of your daughter, but I want you to let me know if you're ready to go back to Eastern Heights after everything that happened last year."

Marc sat in silence as he gazed at the carpet. Stephanie watched her son pinch the bridge of his nose, a trait he had picked up from his father. In fact, he had picked up nearly everything from his father from his tall frame, jet black hair, and tanned skin to his bold and brash demeanor. Marc was a Shayler in every way and his dark gray eyes were the only way someone could tell who his mother was.

"I'm ready," he said clearly. "I'll probably be the oldest guy there since I'm repeating a year, but it doesn't matter. It just means I have nine extra months of winning battles."

Marc grinned at his mother and she smiled back at him before pointing to the stairs. She was not sure if Marc was telling the truth about being ready to go back to the Heights, but he made a convincing face. He wasn't one to show his sadness often anyway, so it was hard to tell if he was being genuine or not. After all, Rodrick McNamara had been his best friend and Marc still blamed himself for not preventing his death.

"Go finish packing and send your sister down," she told him. Marc started up the steps, but was stopped by Marcella tugging at his pants.

"Dada!" the toddler said cheerfully.

"I think you're forgetting someone," Stephanie remarked.

Marc picked up Marcella and made his way back upstairs with Arcanine following close behind him. Stephanie took a deep breath as she awaited the arrival of her only daughter. She did her one-on-one conversations with the children each year and every year, Anya was the toughest.

"_It's like CPR!_

_You make me a live again!_

_Take__ a step back!_

_This is not the end!"_

Stephanie simply stared at her 'clone' as she sang and danced down the steps with her Sandslash. Aside from their physical appearances, Stephanie and her daughter were nothing alike. Personality-wise, Anya took after the Shaylers even more than Marc. On top of that, she acted quite odd for someone born into such a prestigious family. If someone saw her on the street, they would definitely not think that she was anything other than an ordinary suburban teenager.

"Ya-Ya..." Stephanie called out calmly. "Take those things out of your ear so you can hear me."

The dark blond girl yanked the earbuds out and looked up at her mother. Anya was the only one of her children who had the amber eyes of the Shaylers and it was the only physical trait that she shared with her father. Of course, Anya's eyes differentiated from Colton's as hers had a semi-permanent glassy look in them that Stephanie liked to pretend to ignore for obvious reasons.

"Sorry, Mommy," Anya said, her low voice making it a bit harder to hear her. "That's my favorite song."

"You know what, Ya-Ya," Stephanie sighed. "I just want you to stay out of trouble this year and do good in school. Now, go tell Edwin that it's his turn."

"Sandslash, let's roll out!"

"_Sandslaaaaaash_!" he shouted as he curled into a ball and began rolling around the room.

"No!" Anya laughed. "I didn't say _use_ Rollout!"

Sandslash quickly stopped and followed his trainer up the stairs. Stephanie fought the urge to facepalm. After all, Anya behaved exactly like her father and Stephanie loved her husband more than life itself. However, of all her children, Edwin was the one she related to the most.

"_Mother...? You wanted to speak with me?"_

Edwin walked down the steps with his Noctowl flying close behind him. He was careful in his walk as not to mess up his expensive oxford shoes. Unlike Marc and Anya, who resembled Colton and Stephanie respectively, Edwin had a perfect mix of Shayler and Aderyn traits. He had his father's jet black hair and tanned skin, but Stephanie's dark gray eyes and thin, angular face.

"Truthfully," Stephanie began. "You're the one I worry the least about. I know you'll make me proud. You always do."

"Of course, Mother," he replied as a smile formed on his face. "Someone's got to be the responsible one since Marc and Anya aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed."

"Be nice," Stephanie told her youngest child. "Your brother and sister have their faults, but I want you all to love one another. You'll definitely need each other now more than ever. It's not impossible. My brother and I are close."

Edwin scoffed. "Your brother is twenty-two _years_ younger than you are. Jay's more like your child anyway."

Stephanie couldn't help but let out a laugh. Edwin was so much like her that it was ridiculous. She figured that was one of the reasons why he was the easiest of her children to deal with. Even his Pokémon seemed to be the most well behaved, despite Edwin being the youngest child.

"I need to talk to your uncle before you all leave," Stephanie said. "Tell Jason to meet me in my office."

Edwin and Noctowl headed back upstairs as Stephanie stood up and made her way back to her office. She took a seat at her desk and waited for her younger brother to walk in. She glanced at the picture on her desk and desperately tried not to think of her father. Even after fourteen years, the pain of losing him had not fully subsided, but it was not the time to grieve.

"_Celebrating already?"_

Stephanie glanced up to see her sixteen-year old half-brother entering her office. Even the most primitive blood test could tell that Jay was an Aderyn. He had the blond hair, the dark gray eyes, and the thin, angular face that were prominent in the Aderyn family. He even had the personality to match, although he was a bit more relaxed than the average Aderyn. Stephanie figured that he must have gotten that trait from his mother was, whoever she was.

"You saw the champagne?" she asked curiously.

Jay nodded as he let out a laugh. "At least wait until we leave before you start jumping up and down. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was having one-on-ones with all of the children," she explained. "And you're not exempt from it either. Now, close the door and take a seat."

Her voice was stern and she wanted to make sure that Jay knew she was serious. He closed the door to the office and sat down in front of her. Stephanie opened the top drawer of her desk and retrieved a newspaper. She handed the paper to Jay and his eyes squinted as he read the headlines.

"Charles McNamara marries Wilona Tremaine..." he read aloud. "Wow, Rodrick's only been dead a year and now the Tremaines are already taking over. Guess McNamara didn't care that much about his nephew. Not that it's surprising or anything."

"The Tremaines have markets all across Hoenn," Stephanie explained. "What better way for McNamara to expand the business? Rodrick is dead, so he has full control of the company."

"Do you think the Tremaines are going to like try to kill us?" Jay asked.

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders. "If they do try, they better damn well make sure they finish the job. Now, what I want to talk about is you. Are you absolutely sure you're ready to go back to Eastern Heights? I heard that Oscar Tremaine is going back."

"What?!" Jay nearly yelled. "Oz?! He was there when Dixon Neron killed Rodrick. I saw both of them run past me before I found Rodrick bleeding to death! Not to mention what happened to Rodrick's Pokémon!"

"Jason, calm down," Stephanie told him. "I know it's not fair, but Dixon Neron was the one who killed Rodrick and he is in jail. Listen, I didn't tell Marcus that Oz would be returning to Eastern Heights, so I want you to make sure that he doesn't do anything reckless. Can I count on you?"

"Yeah..."

"I'll be visiting Eastern Heights periodically to check on things. Now, if you'd be a doll and show yourself out. Your big sister has a lot of hard work to do."

"Didn't know getting drunk was considered 'hard work,'" Jay said as he stood up. "But you're in charge."

He walked out of the office as Stephanie sat back in her seat. She closed her eyes and thought of her husband and her children, her brother and her granddaughter, and even her Pokémon. Everyone and everything that was important to her was at stake, but the Shaylers had always pulled through. If the Tremaines wanted them dead, they would have to try their hardest to kill them. They were ready for a family war.

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**A/N: So there's the first chapter. The other ones will be much longer.**

**OC's are accepted at my forum and by PM. The form is on my profile. Check to see which symbols are taken before you start on your form. **

**That's all for now I guess.**

**Until next time!**


	2. Cold Thoughts

**Cold Thoughts**

Marc let out a laugh as he watched his younger brother smooth out his new school uniform before placing it carefully in the backseat of the car. Edwin was always so prim and proper that Marc wondered if he ever had any sort of fun. He could not even recall Edwin having many friends at the academy either. However, his brother seemed to be perfectly fine with the way he was, so Marc doubted if he was going to change any time soon.

"Make sure your little demon seed doesn't mess up my uniform," Edwin told him as Marc adjusted Marcella's car seat. "I finally got it tailored just right."

"Whatever, man," Marc replied. "Come on, let's get going."

They had taken a ferry from Cinnabar Island to the mainland after retrieving Edwin's suit from the tailor. Marc's car had been shipped days earlier and he was relieved to finally be back in it. Anya and Jay had gone ahead and Marc figured that they had to be halfway to Eastern Heights by this point. He and Edwin still had to make their way to the Woods Estate to drop Marcella off before they could head towards the academy.

"Daddy!" Marcella called out mere minutes after Marc had started driving. "Daddy!"

"What is it, Marcella?" Marc asked as he tried to keep his focus on the road.

"I want juice!" she shrieked.

"Ed," Marc said. "Can you get her juice? It's in that bag on the floor in the backseat."

Edwin let out a groan as he reached back and searched the bag for his niece's juice. When he finally found the cup of juice, he quickly put the colorful bending straw in it and handed it to Marcella.

"Say thank you, Marcy," Marc reminded her.

"Thank you, Uncle Eddie!" Marcella chirped.

"No problem, kid," Edwin said. "Happy to be of service."

The next forty-five minutes were spent in silence as Marc continued driving along the road. The blooming flowers and grass Pokémon roaming outside alerted him to the fact that he was getting closer to the Woods Estate. It was then that he realized that Natalia would not be returning to Eastern Heights. None of his friends would be there. Natalia Woods, J.D. Navarro, Rita Aldaine, and all the rest had all graduated. The only two who had not were Marc and Rodrick, but at least Marc had a second chance to finish school. Rodrick would never graduate, get married, or have children. The fact that Rodrick's criminal uncle was still walking around breathing while he himself was buried six feet under made Marc's blood boil.

"Marcus..." Edwin said quietly. "Are you okay..."

"I'm...fine, Ed," he replied. "Just fine."

He needed a distraction. Anything that would help him get his mind off of his fallen friend would suffice. Marc's prayers were answered a few moments later when he noticed a billboard with a picture of a Clefable holding an ice cream cone.

"_Cool Clefable's Ice Cream_," Edwin read aloud. "Win a battle and get free ice cream. Seriously? What nonsense."

"I don't know, Ed," Marc replied. "Sounds pretty awesome and it's right up ahead. I think we should give it a try."

"No, we shouldn't," Edwin snapped. "We still have to take Marcella to her mother and get to school. Besides, we have enough money to buy that entire ice cream shop and you want to win a battle in order to get two scoops. You're out of your tiny, caveman-like mind."

"Today's Friday," Marc told him. "Classes don't start until Monday, so we have plenty of time to get to the academy. And it's not even about buying the ice cream. I just want to get a good battle in before we get to Eastern Heights. Marcella, do you want ice cream?!"

"Ice cream!" the toddler girl shouted.

"Looks like you've been outvoted, little bro," Marc said with a grin.

Edwin muttered something under his breath before he gave a sigh of acceptance. Marc sped towards the ice cream shop as fast as he could go with Marcella in the car. They arrived in only five minutes and the Shayler brothers quickly got out to take a look at the scenery before walking in with Marcella in tow. It was a small shop with only a few tables scattered across the tile floors. However, most of them were filled and they could tell that the tiny ice cream shop was popular in these parts.

"Welcome," a chubby young man greeted from behind the counter. "My name's Barty. What can I get for ya today?"

"We heard about the free ice cream," Marc explained. "My brother and I would like to challenge you to a double battle."

They immediately received curious stares from the customers as Barty emerged from behind the counter. He was followed by a Clefable which appeared to be the scariest Clefable either of the boys had ever seen. It pounded its fists a few times as it stared at the Shayler brothers with determination.

"Very well," Barty began as he tossed a poké ball in the air. "You win, you get free ice cream for a year."

The Pokémon materialized and Marc and Edwin came face to face with a Delibird. The white and red bird gave a cheery smile as Clefable stepped to its side. The Shayler boys sent out Machamp and Magmar to battle and both Pokémon seemed eager to fight.

"This should be easy," Edwin told Marc. "We have a type advantage. You take Clefable and I'll take Delibird. Hell, with any luck, we could take both of these Pokémon out in one hit. I'm sure that's something that even you can comprehend. Does that sound like a feasible plan?"

"Whatever you say, captain," Marc replied. "Hey, Barty, why don't you get first move?!"

"Alright, then!" the shop owner said. "Delibird, use Aerial Ace! Clefable, Body Slam!"

Before either of the boys could react, the two Pokémon sped towards Machamp and Magmar. Magmar was slammed with enough force to send him flying into the north wall. Machamp was hit by several streaks of white light, but didn't seem to be fazed as much as Magmar.

"Magmar, are you alright?" Edwin asked in a concern tone.

Magmar let out a puff of smoke as he made his way back to his feet.

"Okay, Ed," Marc told him. "Let's finish this, Shayler style. Machamp, Cross Chop!"

"Magmar, Flamethrower!" Edwin added. "Full power!"

Machamp crossed his front arms as they glowed brightly and sped towards Clefable before hitting him directly in the face. Clefable let out a choked breath before collapsing on the floor. Not to be outdone by his partner, Magmar sent a powerful flamethrower at Delibird, incinerating the bird Pokémon and causing him to scream in pain. When the smoke cleared, both the shop owner's Pokémon were stretched out on the floor in pain. Delibird made a move to get up, but quickly collapsed back down.

"Amazing..." Barty said as he recalled both of his Pokémon. "A bit of an overkill though. You two weren't lying about being Shaylers. I suspected it when you first walked in here, but this battle definitely said more than any words could have. Enjoy your ice cream!"

The crowd cheered as Marc put Edwin in a headlock and messed up his hair. Marcella jumped up and down as Barty handed them and their Pokémon an ice cream cone. Unfortunately for Magmar, the ice cream melted the moment he touched it.

"Sorry about that," Edwin told his Pokémon. "I'll buy you a special flavor for fire types when we get to Eastern Heights."

Marc and Edwin recalled Machamp and Magmar before saying goodbye to Barty and the customers. The rest of the ride to the Woods Manor was spent in silence as Marcella had fallen asleep shortly after leaving the shop and Edwin had begun reading a book he had been putting off all summer. Although he had returned to his normally stuffy self, Marc could tell that he had fun. However, he could not stop thinking about what Barty had said about his battling style.

"_A bit of an overkill though. You two weren't lying about being Shaylers."_

They called him 'One-Hit Shayler' at Eastern Heights for a reason. Most of his battles over the years had been utter curb-stomps. Never one for any elaborate strategies, Marc had believed in overwhelming force despite Rodrick's numerous attempts to change his mind. Even Edwin, Anya, and Jay came up with some ideas when they battles, but he just plowed through the competition. He had won many battles that way, but he had also lost quite a few because of his inability to think things through.

"Seems like we're finally here..." Edwin remarked.

The blooming flowers and grass Pokémon surrounded the golden gates of the Woods Estate. Rows upon rows of plant life were visible, separated down the middle by a small brick road. Even though the Woods family wasn't as old as the Shaylers or the Tremaines, they weren't exactly new like the Monets or the Aldaines and had accumulated enough wealth to make their state-of-the-art gardens. Marc parked the car at the entrance to the gates and got out. There was no need to go inside the gates. Natalia had always insisted on personally coming to the outside of the estate instead of sending a maid to retrieve Marcella.

"Is Marcella still sleep?" Marc asked Edwin.

"Yeah," he answered. "You want me to wake her up?"

Marc shook his head as he noticed the gates opening. A short young woman with blue-green eyes, olive skin, and curly, chocolate brown hair made her way down the brick road. She definitely had the Woods's mousy appearance and it was impossible to deny that she was the granddaughter of Viola Woods. Strolling behind her were two giggling Bellossom.

"Hello, Marcus," Natalia Woods greeted cordially. She noticed Edwin inside the car and gave him a polite wave before going to retrieve her daughter out of her car seat.

"Edwin and I took her for some ice cream," Marc told her. "I would've gotten you one, but you know, it would've melted before we got here."

"_Cool Clefable's Ice Cream_?" Natalia questioned. "Did you challenge Barty? What am I saying, of course you did. You always were a hotheaded one...even for a Shayler. Your daughter has taken after you in more than looks. You should be proud."

He never knew if Natalia was being serious or not. Her compliments seemed genuine, but she always spoke in the same serene voice whether she was congratulating someone or insulting them. She had always been that way.

"Well..." Marc started. "I better get to the academy. Ed's been waiting to get there all day."

He started to leave, but Natalia gently grabbed his wrist with her free hand and stopped him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"You actually care?" he scoffed

"Of course I do..." she said, a little offended at Marc's comment. "I know we weren't on the best terms before...before Rodrick was killed, but I still like to think of us as friends. Are you going to be fine without us there?"

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Have you talked to J.D. or Rita?"

"I run into J.D. every now and again," Natalia answered. "Rita...you know she shut down a bit after Rodrick died. The last I heard, she was in Unova. Listen, I'll be checking in on you as much as I can. My grandmother said that the Tremaines are up to something big and that we should all be on our guards. Stay safe."

"_Bellossssssom_!" the twin Bellossom uttered in agreement with their trainer.

Marc nodded his head and Natalia held out an arm for a hug. He reluctantly complied and gave her a quick embrace before kissing the sleeping Marcella on the cheek. Marc quickly hopped back in the car and was met by a groan from his younger brother.

"Allergies..." Edwin muttered.

"Don't worry, bro," Marc replied as he strapped in and mashed down on the gas pedal. "We'll be at Eastern Heights in no time..."

* * *

"_Please! Somebody help!"_

Jason Aderyn looked around in confusion as he heard his own voice. A young man with long, white-blond hair and icy blue eyes that seemed to be staring into space came into view. His skin was paler than usual and there was a trail of blood running from his chest to the ground.

"_Earth to Jay! Jay!"_

Jay shook his head and felt around for anything that he could grab a hold of. The massive amount of smoke in the car made it incredibly hard for him to see anything. He finally opened the door and stumbled onto the parking lot of the _Flying Gen_.

"We really need to stop..." Anya remarked, her glassy eyes bloodshot. She let out a giggle and grabbed the bottle of perfume from the back seat of the car. "But not today. You need me to spray you? It's vanilla!"

"Go...ahead..." Jay coughed.

Anya sprayed both of them with the perfume in an attempt to cover up the unflattering scent. Jay sighed as he tried to clear his head. He knew that his sister and his Pokémon would disapprove of what he had been doing, but he could not stop it. Therapy was not helping, but he had little say in the matter.

"Have a bad dream?" Anya asked curiously.

"Just the same one I've been having for months," Jay replied.

"I never understood what Rodrick was doing there in the first place," Anya stated. "He doesn't seem like the type to hang out at Black Heights."

"I dunno..." Jay told her. "He said he needed to talk to me about something important and wanted me to meet him there. I guess it was about Marc or something like that. He was pretty much dead by the time I found him."

"Well, no more dead talk!" Anya said cheerfully. "Let's go get something to eat! I'm starving! Total munchies!"

The _Flying Gen_ was the restaurant that the students of Eastern Heights often went to when they weren't willing to eat the school food. It was only a few blocks away from the academy and it was mostly devoid of troublemakers since they tended to spend their time at Black Heights.

"Try not to get us thrown out by Mr. Mime," Jay joked.

"Of course not," Anya said with a smirk on her face. "I'm a total ang-"

Jay arched an eyebrow as Anya's face scrunched in anger. Her amber eyes narrowed and she balled her fists. The second he looked forward, Jay understood why. Anya had come face-to-face with a tall and lanky young man with long, stringy brown hair, slightly pale skin, and piercing green eyes. Oscar Tremaine stared at the uncle and niece duo in indifference, but did not say a word.

"Move..." Anya told him with the utmost hatred in her voice.

"Make me, Madam Man-Voice..." Oz replied coolly. He shifted his attention to Jay. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I don't have anything to say to you..." Jay told him coldly. "Anya, let's go."

Anya shook her head. "I'm not stepping aside for a Tremaine. I'll stand here all night if I have to!"

"Looks like we'll be here all night then," Oz stated. "Because I'm not moving. I dare you to ahead and try something, Shayler. You won't win. I'm feeling pretty lucky."

"I guess I would feel lucky too if I were you..." Anya shot back. "After all, getting off after being an accessory to murder would make anyone feel pretty damn good. Isn't that right, Ozzy?"

The look on Oz's face said more than any words could at the moment. For a split second, Jay felt that Anya's comment was a bit harsh, but she had never been one to sugarcoat things and nearly every family in the Eastern Heights circle had been affected by the Tremaines and their criminal activities in some way or another. She had obviously struck a nerve since Oz did not open his mouth to speak. He immediately moved to the side and walked off.

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**A/N: And there's chapter two. Chapter three should be a bit longer. OC's will start appearing next chapter, but I wanted to thank everyone who sent them in. Some will show up later than others, but they will show.**

**Other notes: Come to the forums to chat about the story or anything, really.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Until next time! **


	3. Roommates: Part 1

**Roommates: Part 1**

After their brief confrontation with Oz Tremaine, Anya had quickly returned to her jovial self and immediately started going on and on about how hungry she was. Jay wondered if the drugs had anything to do with her shift in attitude, but realized that Anya was just entirely too goofy to stay upset for too long regardless if she was high or not.

"Are we going to eat here?" Jay asked. "Or are we going to get our food to go?"

"Definitely to go," Anya answered as she sprayed herself down with vanilla scented perfume. "I've been waiting to see what my new room looks like all week."

They walked inside the _Flying Gen_ and looked around to see if they could find anyone that they knew. The restaurant was large and spacious with a futuristic theme to it. The interior walls were metallic along with the tables and the floor panels were clear. Behind the counter, Mr. Mime stood with his usual warm smile. Jay and Anya approached the counter and looked at the menu above Mr. Mime's head.

"What's up, Mr. Mime?" Anya greeted. "I'll have two triple burgers with curly fries and a large Miltank shake."

"You are going to have a heart attack _tonight_," Jay warned her.

"Can't help it," Anya replied. "I'm hungry. Now tell him what you want so we can go."

"Hey, I'm your uncle," Jay told her as she rolled her eyes in reply. "You can't really order me around." He shot her a quick grin before turning his attention to Mr. Mime. "Let me get an iced tea, a ham and cheese sub, and a bag of potato chips."

"_Mr. Mime_!" Mr. Mime said cheerfully as they paid for their food. After that was taken care of, he rushed back to the kitchen to prepare the order.

Jay and Anya took a seat at one of the tables and immediately went to their own devices while they waited for their food to be prepared. Anya had already put in her earphones and was listening to her music without a care in the world. Jay, on the other hand, had returned to his thoughts. Seeing Oz Tremaine in the flesh had brought back haunting memories that no amount of drugs could eliminate. The last time Jay had saw the son of his family's worst enemy, Oz and his friend were fleeing Black Heights after killing Rodrick McNamara.

"_Mind if I join you?"_

The familiar voice interrupted Jay's thoughts and he looked up to see a tall boy with light brown skin and long black hair in smooth dreadlocks grinning at him. The boy's warm brown eyes were a common trait in his family and the Tauros symbol on his jacket made it clear that he was a Navarro.

"Kevin Navarro!" Anya shrieked as she yanked her earphones out and stood up to hug him. "Wow, you got tall!"

"Thanks," the boy replied as he shook hands with Jay. "My secret is that I drink plenty of orange juice. Don't know how that's exactly relevant, but eh, who cares? So, when did you two get here?"

"About thirty minutes ago," Jay answered. "Did you find out who our roommates are going to be this year?"

Kevin shook his head and Jay wondered about the two other boys who would be living with them for the next several months. The school administration was a bit unpredictable with living arrangements due to the ongoing family feuds that were rampant among the community. Due to the fact that the Navarros were long-time friends of the Shaylers and the Aderyns, Jay had always shared the same house as Kevin, but their other roommates had been different each year. It was for the opposite reason that he had never shared a house with Oz Tremaine.

"_Mr. Mime!"_

"Food's ready," Anya said. "I'll go get it. You two can go ahead and wait outside."

The two boys made their way out of the restaurant and started on the grassy path that led to the eastern houses of the Heights. Thankfully, the trail that they were on kept from having to go through the main campus which was always a hassle when the students started arriving. Anya soon caught up to them and handed her uncle his food as they continued walking. They conversed with Kevin about the usual topics, mostly about what they had done over the summer and what kind of condition their Pokémon were in.

"Okay," Kevin finally said as they reached a fork in the road. "The male houses are to the left. Jay, we're in _East House-C_."

"I guess I'll see you guys soon!" Anya told them as she darted down the right path.

Jay and Kevin watched her disappear from sight before heading down the left path. It was much easier to simply stay silent without Anya around, but Jay knew that it was only a matter of time before Kevin started speaking about the incident.

"So...how have you been?" he asked curiously.

"Good," Jay answered. "Everything's been...good..."

"I heard Oz Tremaine was back," Kevin continued. "You know, my cousin hasn't been the same since the incident. I mean, J.D.'s still a joker, but he took Rodrick's death pretty hard. He told me that if he ever saw Dixon Neron again, he would kill him with his bare hands. I think Neron's safer in prison. I imagine J.D. would do the same if he saw Oz."

While Jay was slightly bothered by the fact that someone was already bringing up Rodrick, he could not disagree with his friend. He did not know much about the boy who killed Rodrick, but everything he did know about Dixon Neron did not paint him in a positive light. He had been from one of the newer families and hated to be reminded of it by his peers. He also had quite a nasty temper and from the little that Jay had saw, the boy seemed to be halfway deranged. Just the thought of him made Jay want to change the topic immediately.

"Hey," he started with a grin. "You do know that I'm putting my bed by the window in our room, right?"

"No way!" Kevin shot back. "Dude, you always put your bed by the window! I think I should get to enjoy the view for once. I want to be able to see the awesome battles on the field."

"Yeah, right," Jay taunted as he took a few steps back. "The only view that you want to be able to see is the view of is the sweet and lovely Miss Yuki Motoshima. H-happy sixteenth b-birthday, Yuki. Um, I...got you a g-gift. I-I hope you like it..."

"You're a dead man!" Kevin shouted.

Jay took off running down the path and Kevin chased after him. A large brick house surrounded by a lush garden came into view. Jay noticed several fighting Pokémon moving furniture in the large house and continued running until he was at the front door. Kevin smashed into him and the two friends went tumbling inside and onto the wooden floor of the large house. The Pokémon ignored them and continued moving the furniture.

"_Looks like you two finally made it._.."

The two boys rose to their feet and turned in the direction of the voice. Stretched out on the expensive black couch was a tall and thin boy with honey brown eyes and long, jet black hair tied into a half ponytail. While Jay himself was often accused of looking somewhat girly himself, he was not in the same league as the boy on the couch.

"Yuu Wang?" Kevin asked. "You're one of our roommates this year?"

"Problem?" Yuu asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Not really," Jay answered. "Glad to have you abroad."

Yuu grinned and sat up. "That's good. When I heard that I would be rooming with Jay-Kev this year, I didn't exactly know how to take it. My sister didn't have much to say about the matter either."

"We're pretty easy to get along with," Jay told him. "Just don't call us 'Jay-Kev' or any variation. It makes us sound like we're married."

"Which one of you is the wife?" Yuu joked.

"Oh, that's definitely Jay," Kevin replied. "Flowing blond hair, pouty lips."

Yuu let out a chuckle which confused Jay seeing as he had no room to find his appearance funny. He noticed a couple of Machoke carrying in his bed into the living room. The Fearow symbol on the headboard was prominent and reminded Jay of his family. He knew that Marc, Anya, and Edwin would all have Arcanine symbols on their headboards and it was just one more thing that reminded that he was not a true Shayler.

"Yuu, which room did you take?" he asked.

"The bottom one," the lazy boy replied. "I'm not going up and down those stairs everyday."

"So we'll take the upstairs one," Kevin told Jay.

"Alright, guys," Jay told the pair of Machoke. "Let's head upstairs."

"_Maaaachoooke!_" the two Pokémon replied eagerly.

They lifted the bed once more as Jay led them towards the spiral staircase that led to the second floor. He made his way up the stairs, but quickly stopped when he turned the corner and saw someone sitting near the very top.

"Hold on," he told the Machoke. "Hey, guys, someone's here!"

The Machoke moved out of the way as Kevin and Yuu walked up the stairs behind Jay. They saw a boy with shaggy brown hair sitting nervously on the silver steps. He was staring at the floor and did not even look up when the three boys approached him. Obviously, Yuu had failed to notice him, despite the fact that he was likely the first one to arrive. Jay maneuvered around the quiet boy and peered into the upstairs room. When he saw the Nidoqueen symbol on the bed, everything clicked into place.

"Don't we know this guy?" Kevin asked.

"He does look familiar..." Yuu added.

"He's a Stryker," Jay answered as he returned to the steps. "I saw it on his headboard in the room."

"A _male_ Stryker?" Yuu questioned. "Well, that pretty much explains it. They've probably cut out his vocal chords and possibly castrated him. If any of you need me, I'll be asleep."

Yuu walked back down the stairs and Jay and Kevin glanced at one another. The Stryker boy was still staring at the floor, not even acknowledging the other two boys. Although he was not one to usually initiate conversations, Jay knew that he had to do something.

"Your name is Bo, right?" he asked calmly. "Do you know us?"

The boy nodded his head without looking up.

"I guess one of your sisters brought you here?" Jay questioned. Bo nodded his head once more. "Which one? Was it Ivy?"

The boy looked up, his brown eyes wide and full of fear. He shook his head rapidly and scooted back a few inches. Jay realized that mentioning the worst option first was probably not the best idea to calm his new roommate.

"Leah brought me..." Bo said quietly.

Jay nodded his head and turned to Kevin. "Look," he whispered. "I know that me and you have shared a room at Eastern Heights since we were nine years old, but there's no way in hell that we can put Yuu in with Bo. He'll drive Bo insane."

"Wait, so you're gonna put me downstairs with Yuu?" Kevin asked.

"At least you'll be able to put your bed by the window," Jay replied. "What do you say?"

"Fine," Kevin sighed. "You owe me though. I'll tell the Machoke to bring up your bed."

The two friends fist bumped one another before Kevin made his way back downstairs. The Machoke quickly carried Jay's bed up the stairs and he followed them into the room. For the first time, he was able to get a good look at the area. The room was about twice the size of his room from the previous year and he appreciated the extra space. There were two closets and two desks against opposite ends of the room. Two French doors led to a small balcony outside that overlooked the grassy fields that surrounded the Eastern houses.

"Thanks for the help," Jay told the Machoke.

"_Maaaaachoke!_" they replied happily before exiting the room.

Bo nervously walked in and kept his distance from from the other boy. Jay knew that it would take some time before Bo would even look in his direction for longer than a minute, so he decided not to bother the boy any further for the time being. Jay walked over to the desk and sat his food down, but before he could start eating, he noticed a small envelope on his desk.

"What's this?" he said to himself.

He noticed the Sunflora symbol on the back of the envelope and immediately knew what it meant. Jason Aderyn had an upcoming meeting with the headmistress of Eastern Heights.

* * *

Anya had finished half of her food before she had even walked through the front door of her house. The moving Pokémon were exiting and by the looks of everything, it appeared that she was the last one to arrive, but that was not exactly unusual for her. She looked around the bottom floor of the house and smiled in satisfaction. The room was extremely large and was split between a living room area and an equally large kitchen. To her left was a long, black sectional sofa along with a soft chair. Anya made a mental note to claim the chair at all costs as it was placed perfectly from the flat screen television on the wall.

"Anyone here?!" she shouted at the staircase as she made her way into the kitchen and took a seat at one of the four stools in front of the island. "I have food! I'm not sharing any of it because I'm starving, but I thought you should all know anyway!"

"_Anya...is that you?"_

A small girl with large, dark gray eyes and dark long hair with thick bangs peeked her head out of the downstairs room. Anya's eyes lit up and she held out her arms as the girl approached her. Anya embraced her friend in a hug and let out several giggles as the other girl let released her arms.

"Anya, are you-"

"Not since earlier," Anya admitted. "Wait, can you smell it on me, Yuki?"

The petite girl shook her head and from the look on her face, Anya could tell that she probably wanted to change the topic. Despite being one of her closest friends, Yuki Motoshima was the exact opposite of Anya as far as personality and interests went. The Motoshimas were an extremely important family and Yuki's older brother had persuaded the two girls to befriend one another years ago as it would help increase positive relations between their the Shaylers and the Motoshimas. However, Anya didn't care about any of that and simply liked Yuki because she was a nice girl.

"I...heard that your brother decided to come back," Yuki said as she took a seat beside Anya, her soft and feminine voice contrasting against Anya's slightly deep one. "I think it takes a really strong person to make that decision after such a tragedy."

"Yeah, he finally stopped running away from his problems," Anya told her. "But he's going to freak when he finds out-"

"_Anya__ Shayler_?"

The familiar voice had a very practical and business-like tone and didn't seem to be one of excitement, anger, or annoyance. A girl with rust red hair in a bobcut strolled down the spiral steps and walked into the kitchen. She had olive green eyes and a sharp, angular face that had a neutral expression on it as was common with her family. A silver ring with a single emerald in it was placed on her right ring finger.

"Selena Fansher is one of our roommates this year?" Anya asked curiously. "Wow...don't know what to make of that."

"I'm sure the experience of having you as a roommate will be memorable," Selena replied cordially.

"Okay..." Anya replied as she arched an eyebrow. "I guess..."

The Fanshers were a confusing family to deal with and Selena was no exception, even though Anya knew that she had always been fond of Jay. They were the 'wild cards' of the wealthy community and switched sides between conflicts more often than it snowed in Snowpoint City. Though the family itself was currently divided on every single important issue, they were rarely wrong in their judgments and the "Fansher sense" had become legendary amongst the families. As the dominant banking family of Kanto, they definitely lived up to their Pokémon symbol, Persian.

"That is a lovely ring," Yuki complimented Selena.

"Thank you," Selena said. "It's been passed down through Fansher women for ages."

"So, Selena," Anya started as she finished her milkshake. "Me and Yuki have the downstairs bedroom. Who's sharing with you?"

"I believe that would be Leah Stryker," the red-haired girl answered. "She said that she would be down in a moment."

As if on cue, Anya heard footsteps and her amber eyes narrowed. While the Strykers mostly kept to themselves, they had caused a bit of conflict around Eastern Heights due to their abhorrent attitude towards males that had become quite common in their family recently. In truth they were nowhere near the psychotic Black Heights thugs on the nastiness scale or even as mean as Marlena Sachman could be. Marc ignored them, Jay avoided them, and Edwin–like he did with most people that he came in contact with– turned his nose up at them. Still, they had openly disrespected Anya's father, brothers, and uncle on more than a few occassions and now she was required to live with one of them.

"Every family has its decent members," Yuki told Anya. "Just make sure to remember that."

Anya rolled her eyes at her overly-idealistic friend. Approaching the three of them was a blue-eyed girl with long, thick, caramel blonde hair that fell to her waist. She had a friendly smile on her face, but made sure to walk slowly as to not alarm the Shayler girl. Leah Stryker held her hand for a shake, but Anya stared at her apprehensively.

"Okay...then..." Leah said as she pulled back her hand. "I think it would be best if I got to the point. I know I haven't exactly been the best person in the past...and I apologize about my comments that I made towards your male family members. I know that you love your father, brothers, and uncle and you have good reasons to. Yuki, same for you. If we're going to live together, you should know that I'm not the person I was. I'm not my sister."

"How long were you preparing that speech?" Anya asked with a grin on her face.

"Two hours," Leah replied sheepishly. "Did it work?"

"Yeah, I guess," Anya stated. "I don't know if it's the pot talking, but I'm not in the mood to hold grudges if you're truly sorry. If we have to live together, we might as well get along. Let's go over some rules though."

"Rules?" Selena asked.

"The most important rule..." Anya started. "Is about that badass chair in the living room...It's mine! I called it!"

Yuki and Leah broke out into laughter and even Selena almost managed to lose her poker face. Apparently, they assumed that Anya was joking about the chair.

* * *

As Oscar Tremaine made his way through the dark West Woods behind the main Eastern Heights campus, he could not help but to think about the whispers that he had heard about himself and his family. Whatever the gossip was about, it always came back to Rodrick McNamara and his death. People looked at Oz like _he_ was the one who had driven the knife into Rodrick's heart. Dixon Neron was safely tucked away in jail while he was the scapegoat. He would not even be at the stupid academy if his father had not forced him to return and now he had to deal with the idiotic Shaylers and the rest of their stupid allies.

"_Hooooooou!"_

"Damn it..." Oz muttered as he reached for a poké ball. "Whatever the hell you are, come out in the open..."

He heard the steps and was quickly surrounded by four Houndour which meant that a Houndoom was probably not too far away. Pokémon were always lurking in the woods, so he wasn't as much surprised as he was annoyed that he couldn't reach Black Heights without interruption. He tossed the ball into the air and watched as his Crawdaunt materialized.

"_Craaaaa_!"

"Take them out," he ordered simply. "Don't kill them though. That's the last thing I need on my hands at the moment."

Oz knew that Crawdaunt probably would have hesitated anyway if he had ordered their deaths since he had never actually killed any Pokémon despite his family's infamous reputation in that regard.

"_Craaaaaaa_!"

The powerful bubbles rapidly shot from Crawdaunt's pincers and the weak Pokémon went down within a few hits. Two of them got back up and Crawdaunt simply attacked once more before they finally collapsed beside the other two. The water Pokémon smiled in satisfaction, but the eerily quietness of the woods kept Oz on his toes.

"Crawdaunt," he said. "Stay on the look out for-

"_Doooooooom!"_

Crawdaunt went crashing into a nearby tree and Oz desperately looked around for the unseen Houndoom. It was obvious that the fire Pokémon had used Faint Attack on Crawdaunt. The Houndoom finally appeared in front of the trainer and growled viciously. Oz took a few steps back and glanced over to see Crawdaunt rising back to his feet. However before he could give an order, Houndoom's attention turned towards the sky.

"_Kroooooow_!"

The Honchkrow swooped down and slammed into Houndoom with his wings. Crawdaunt joined in on the assault and started firing bubbles at the fire Pokémon. With the advantage gone, Houndoom let out a howl and retreated into the woods along with the Houndour.

"_Damn, if it wouldn't have retreated, I could have killed it..."_

"_I don't know about that, Dean. You did sneak up on it."_

"_Whatever."_

Oz knew the first voice all too well. It belonged to Dean Cardennis of the infamous Cardennis family. He had dark brown hair that was gelled back in front, spiked and pointing slightly forward at the sides giving it a rough, fluffy, un-parted look. He had thin eyebrows above his light gray eyes and the look on his face reminded Oz of his old friend, Dixon.

The second voice belonged to a tall and heavyset boy with thick arms and an even thicker neck. He had medium-length, curly, light brown hair and his skin had a slight pinkish tone to it. His eyes were beady and were a dull brown color. Oz could see that he was part of the Gellner family, but he could not remember his name.

"Oz Tremaine..." Dean hissed. "You know, you're a legend around here. Killing Rodrick McNamara was a bold move. It's about time someone finally stuck it to those A-listers."

"Dixon killed him," Oz stated clearly. "I was just there when it happened."

"But he's in jail," Dean replied. "You're the one who gets all the credit for the deed. Isn't that right, Brodus."

"Right..." the large boy answered.

Dean was coming off even worse than Dixon was, but it wasn't much of a shock. The Cardennis family was the family that did the dirty work for the more powerful families and they were quite high on the hierarchy themselves. Oz's father was acquainted with Dean's father and for a while, Oz had been sure that the Cardennises were the ones who had murdered Rodrick's Pokémon. However, he now believed that it was either his brother or his aunt who had committed the crime.

"I went by my house before coming here," Oz explained. "Two of the guys were there. I think one of them was a Hyman, but I don't know who the other one was. Tch, they wouldn't even look at me. It's all because of this stupid Rodrick mess."

"We heard that you ran into one of the Shaylers," Dean stated. "Which one was it? Was it the meathead or the Aderyn bastard?"

"Or was it the little stuck-up nerd?" Brodus added.

"It was Madam Man-Voice," Oz answered. "The little She-Shayler. It looked like she was stoned out of her mind though. Why do you care anyway?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders and let out a snicker. "The word is that your family has taken control of McNamara Corp and we just want to be on the winning side if something were to go down. We might as well stick together for now. After all, you and I are in the same house."

"What do you think about that, Oz?" Brodus asked.

Oz let out a sigh. He should have figured that Dean would be the roommate replacing Dixon. It was like replacing a Gyarados with a Tyranitar, but there was no way he could turn down Dean's offer. His father had sent him back to Eastern Heights to keep an eye on the Shaylers and make as many allies as he could. He gazed at Dean's outstretched hand and made his final decision.

"I think this is going to be an interesting year," Oz said as he shook Dean's hand. "Let's go celebrate at Black Heights..."

* * *

**A/N: Finally, it's done! Sorry about the delay, I was trying to think of a way to introduce many characters without it being overwhelming. I decided to sort of 'group' characters together to help make everything easier. Also, there are one or two more parts to this chapter and we'll be introduced to even more characters, so I wanted to make sure it wasn't a headache. Basically, if your OC did not appear, they're bound to show up in the next chapter or two.**

**Families introduced/newly mentioned were: Navarro, Motoshima, Wang, Stryker, Fansher, Cardennis, Gellner, Sachman (mentioned), Hyman (mentioned)**

**Feel free to come to the forums and discuss this story or my other one or just to discuss anything in particular.**

**Until next time! **


	4. Roommates: Part 2

**Roommates: Part 2**

"_Keep up, girl!" _

While Rosalie did not enjoy being spoken to like a child, she retained her warm smile as she followed Marlena down the long, elegant, stone sidewalk. The path that the two half-sisters were on led to the main entrance of Eastern Heights and students from various wealthy families were making their way inside. Rosalie was awed by the individual statues of different Pokémon placed alongside the walkway and stopped when she noticed the Cinccino one.

"All of the great families have statues placed on the sides of this walkway," Marlena explained. She pushed her curly, blonde hair out of her beautiful face and glared at her younger sister. "_My _family's place is right here. Unlike you, the blood of Dean Ralston actually runs through my veins. I belong here."

The fact that Marlena was correct was what stung the most. Cinccino was the Pokémon symbol of the Ralstons, Marlena's mother's family. The two of them had only recently met after the younger girl had arrived at the Sachman estate claiming to be the daughter of Marlena's father, the famous coordinator and male model Anthony Sachman. Marlena and her mother had brushed it off at first and believed it was some type of hoax. However, once the blood test had confirmed Rosalie's paternity, all hell had broken loose. Marlena's parents were currently in the midst of a multi-billion dollar divorce that had almost become as talked about among the community as the marriage between Charles McNamara and Wilona Tremaine. Rosalie had only been taken in by Marlena's mother as a public relations maneuver since her mother had passed away and now she was in an unfamiliar environment with a beautiful sister who hated her.

"Which family uses Sharpedo as their symbol?" Rosalie asked, hoping to redirect the conversation a bit.

"The Tremaines," Marlena answered offhandedly. "They're one of the several psychotic families running around and they've become even more powerful since they've gotten they've wormed their way inside McNamara Corporation. And believe me you'll hear a lot about their rivalry with the Shaylers."

"The Shaylers?" Rosalie questioned.

"The family that uses Arcanine as its Pokémon symbol," Marlena continued. "They've been in a big rivalry with the Tremaines for the past seventy-five years. The three of them that are at this school consists of a stupid jock with a bastard daughter, a pothead with the deepest voice you'll ever hear from a female, and a skinny little nerd. Marc Shayler is the heir, so I have to interact with him on principle, but I don't really care about the other two. Oh and there's also the Aderyn boy, but he's not a real Shayler. "

Marlena's comments about the family were rude, but nothing out of the ordinary for her. Rosalie was surprised that her sister continued telling her information about the various families despite the fact that she found a reason to insult them every time. She learned about the Aderyns, Navarros, Motoshimas, Fanshers, Strykers, Wangs, Hymans, Flynns, and several other important families and their Pokémon symbols.

"I know about the McNamaras," Rosalie told Marlena as they made their way towards the large doors of the main entrance. "They're currently the most powerful family and they use Froslass as their symbol."

"Too bad they're cursed," Marlena remarked. "They certainly know how to die better than anyone else. That's what they're really famous for. The only one left is Charles McNamara. Rodrick was murdered last year, his aunt Celia was found dead around fourteen years ago, and his parents were killed a couple of years before that. Even their Pokémon tend to get killed along with them."

"That's really sad…" Rosalie stated.

"Whatever…" Marlena replied. "We're finally here, so I'm done being your tour guide. Go to the registration desk and get your schedule and whatever else you need. If you can excuse me, I have a very important phone call to make."

Marlena disappeared behind the large doors and Rosalie let out a sigh as she adjusted her glasses. Despite her sister's attitude towards her, she was actually excited to be at Eastern Heights and was definitely interested in learning more about the history of the school and the families that attended it. Rosalie walked through the double doors and was amazed by what she saw. The stone walls were decorated with portraits of Pokémon symbols that represented the famed families and the marble floor was absolutely spotless despite the number of people and Pokémon that walked on it. Above her head was a circular skylight that displayed the stars outside beautifully. Rosalie made her way through the crowd and to the registration desk where she noticed a tiny old woman sitting. The desk had a poster of a Swellow on it and the young girl assumed that it was the woman's family's symbol.

"Hi," Rosalie greeted. "My name is-"

"No need," the woman interrupted politely. "I know exactly who you are. Rosalie Sachman, you've been in the news for a while. There's no mistaking it, you have the same hair and eye color as your sister. My name is Mrs. Polk."

She extended her hand and Rosalie shook it.

"I guess I'm already infamous around here, huh?" Rosalie asked.

Mrs. Polk let out a laugh. "Don't worry, dear. You're certainly not the only subject of gossip around these parts. Now, it's getting late and I'm sure you're ready to get some rest. Give me a moment and I'll give you your house assignment and class schedule."

"Thank you," Rosalie told her.

Mrs. Polk seemed a bit surprised by her politeness, but nevertheless continued smiling as she looked through the papers on her desk. After a few moments of skimming through the small stack, she found Rosalie's information and handed her the two sheets of paper.

"Sophomores are situated in the southern houses," the old woman explained. "If you get lost, ask anyone for help."

"Thank you again."

Rosalie walked back through the crowd and headed towards the far left of the building. She had noticed another door there and guessed that it was the one that led to the houses. Exiting through the door, Rosalie noticed four separate brick paths and people walking along them. In the center of the paths was a large water fountain with an Empoleon statue in the middle of it.

"_Hey!"_

Rosalie looked around to see that all the students in the vicinity were hurrying down the paths and it was obvious that they were frightened by something. She turned in the direction of the voice she had heard and saw two boys approaching her. The first one was tall and thin with gelled brown hair, light gray eyes, and a dark grin on his face. The second one was a heavyset young man with beady eyes and pinkish skin.

"Um, hello," Rosalie greeted in confusion.

"Check it, Brodus," the first boy said. "This one didn't run like the others. She must be new. It's totally obvious."

"You know something, Dean," the second boy started. "She looks kind of familiar."

Dean studied her for a moment and arched an eyebrow. "Do you have a brother or a sister?"

"My name is Rosalie…Sachman…" she answered.

The two boys looked at one another before breaking out in laughter. Rosalie was confused more than ever and wondered why the other students had fled. The two boys in front of her didn't seem too threatening. In fact, they seemed more foolish than anything.

"I remember it now," Brodus said. "My parents were talking about Anthony Sachman having a bastard kid. She does kind of look like Model Marlena. Definitely not as hot as she is though."

"Of course not," Dean replied. He looked into Rosalie's blue eyes and grinned. "Rosalie…was it? Can I ask you something?" She nodded her head reluctantly and Dean continued. "Do you think your bitch sister will go on a date with me if I cut off your lips and send them to her?"

Rosalie's eyes widened and she heard a quick swishing noise before coming face to face with a six-inch blade. Before she could make a move, Dean grabbed her shoulder with his free hand and held the knife to her throat. The look on Brodus' fat face suggested that he might have been somewhat disturbed by his friend's behavior, but he did not voice his opinion if he even had one. Dean moved the knife up over the blonde girl's lips and across her nose before suddenly releasing her and lightly shoving her forward.

"Knew you wouldn't do anything," Brodus remarked as Dean put away the knife.

"Did you actually think I was going to cut her?" Dean replied. "I'm not an idiot like Dixon Neron. I don't kill people out in the open. Besides, we have company…"

"_Aaaarrrrrrr!"_

Rosalie heard the growl and shifted her gaze in the direction of the noise. She saw a young man approaching with what was perhaps the biggest Arcanine she had ever seen. The older boy was tall and muscular with jet black hair, tanned skin, and dark gray eyes. He had a fierce look on his face and he approached the scene without fear or hesitation. The two thugs grinned at the older boy and waited for him to make a move.

"Marc Shayler," Dean said. "Long time no see. How does it feel to be a second year senior? We ran into Oz a bit earlier at Black Heights. I bet he will be thrilled to see you again."

Rosalie's eyes widened once more as she stared at the older boy up and down. Marc Shayler had been the heir of the Shayler family that Marlena had told her about. The Arcanine at his side definitely confirmed that he was part of them and between the trainer and his Pokémon, she could not tell who radiated more intensity.

"Come on, kid," Marc suddenly said to Rosalie, completely ignoring Dean's comment. "I'll show you how to get to your house."

"Okay…" Rosalie replied. "I'm a sophomore, so I know I'm supposed to take the southern path."

Marc nodded and the two of them started walking along with Arcanine. The two thugs in the background continued their rude and vulgar comments, but Marc ignored everything they had to say.

"Don't turn your back on anyone, Shayler!" Dean taunted. "Your boyfriend Rodrick learned the hard way."

"How good was Natalia Woods under the sheets?!" Brodus added. "Rumor has it that she sounds like a dying Mankey during it."

The two of them began making obnoxious 'Mankey' cries and Rosalie could not believe how lewd they were acting in their efforts to provoke the older boy. Still, Marc continued to ignore their comments as they walked along the path and she wondered how long he could hold out. She was almost ready to attack Dean herself when he insulted Marlena despite the fact that she knew that her sister would not do the same for her.

"I've seen a picture of the bastard baby…" Dean suddenly said in a chilling tone. He smirked as Marc stopped dead in his tracks. "Marcella is her name, correct? So, she's half-Shayler and half-Woods. Is she a tree-hugger like her mommy or stupid like her daddy? Arceus, imagine if she ended up with the same man-voice as dear Aunty Anya."

Marc bolted at Dean and grabbed the collar of his leather jacket before pinning him against the wall. Arcanine growled at Brodus, keeping the larger boy at bay while Rosalie simply watched the scene unfold in front of her. Marc took a deep breath before releasing Dean and shoving the smaller boy forward in the same way that he had done Rosalie.

"I'd leave right now if I were you," Marc warned him.

"I guess we should be going then," Dean replied with a smirk. "Come on, Brodus. We'll live to fight another day. Too bad I can't say the same thing for Rodrick."

The two thugs grinned at Marc before disappearing inside of the main building. Rosalie was relieved that they were gone and had already begun questioning if she made the right decision about seeking out her father. Marc approached her once more and extended his hand.

"Marcus Shayler," he stated with a warm smile. "My friends and family call me Marc. You got a name, kid?"

"Rosalie Sachman," Rosalie answered as she shook Marc's hand. "I've heard about you."

"Hopefully some good things," Marc replied. "But…judging by your last name, you probably heard the bad from a not-so-credible source."

"Well," Rosalie began as they headed down the brick trail. "Marlena's got her issues, but I don't think she's rotten at her core. I do know that you have a sister, brother, and uncle at this school. Your family's had a rivalry with the Tremaines for the past seventy-five years and you apparently have a daughter with a girl from the Woods family."

"You sound like you're reading my biography," Marc told her. "You'd definitely get along with my brother." He let out a chuckle before a serious expression formed on his face. "Listen, I want you to know something since you're new. Not everyone at this school is like those two guys you met back there. I'm not going to sugarcoat it though. There are some evil families that get away with horrible crimes due to their wealth and influence. Hell, a lot of these families are fighting amongst themselves at this moment, but not all families are like that."

Rosalie nodded her head. Marlena said that Marc was stupid, but he seemed insightful to her. "Your family…" she said. "Every single member actually loves one another?"

"That's probably the one and only advantage we have over a lot of families here," Marc said. "We haven't been known to be the most intelligent of the bunch that's for sure. Anyway, I know you probably don't have it perfect right now especially with everything that's going on with your dad. Are you still happy that you found him?"

"I don't know…" Rosalie answered honestly. "I wasn't trying to ruin his life or his marriage. I wasn't trying to ruin Marlena's life either. I just wanted to know who I really was."

"I can't even pretend like I know what you're going through," Marc replied. "But I know someone who can relate. My uncle, Jay Aderyn, has spent his entire life without knowing who his mother is. My grandfather never told my parents, so they don't even know who she could be. He might act like it doesn't bother him anymore, but I think it still does. That's the reason I didn't want Marcella to grow up without knowing who I was."

"Your daughter's lucky to have someone like you in her life," Rosalie said with a smile.

They spent the rest of the way in silence until Rosalie noticed the large brick houses and their lush gardens at the end of the trail. She checked the papers that she had folded into her pockets and looked for the house that she was going to be living in.

"I guess you got it from here, kid," Marc said. "Nice meeting you. Oh and definitely make a lot of friends. You'll need them."

"Can I say that I already have one?" Rosalie asked curiously.

Marc grinned and shook hands with her before turning around and heading down the trail with Arcanine. Rosalie watched him disappear from sight before turning her attention to the house. She knew that her Breloom would enjoy the garden that surrounded it and despite the upscale nature of the home, it had a very tranquil feel to it. Rosalie walked inside and looked around the bottom floor. It was split between a living room area and a kitchen with spiral steps that led to the second floor. The furniture looked luxurious and even the floor looked good enough to eat off of.

"Hello!" Rosalie called out. "Is anyone here?"

"_Cooooooming!"_

The voice had come from upstairs and Rosalie watched as two girls hurried down. The first one had long, strawberry blond hair with big green eyes and freckles all across her cheery face. She was dressed in light blue and pink and the Weavile sticker on her shirt was definitely a contrast to her bright clothing.

The second girl had short black hair with purple streaks dyed in. She had cold dark eyes and slightly pale skin. She had a nose piercing as well as an eyebrow piercing and several ear piercings as well. Her clothes were also dark, but the Clefable sticker on her shirt almost made Rosalie giggle.

"Hi," Rosalie greeted. "I'm Rosalie Sachman. I'm your new housemate."

"Nice to meet you, Rosalie!" the blond girl said excitedly as she wrapped an arm around the second girl's neck. "My name is Tawny Kelso and this is my best friend Maya Horton!"

"Hey…" Maya greeted somberly.

"This is our second year here!" Tawny explained. "We're both from two of the newer Eastern Heights families, so we really haven't had a chance to meet a lot of people."

Rosalie recalled hearing how the older Eastern Heights families tended to dislike the newer ones, but Tawny seemed to be a nice girl. She explained to her that she and Maya had taken the upstairs bedroom and that Rosalie would have to share the bottom room with Altair Faust. She hadn't arrived yet and Rosalie was somewhat relieved that she wasn't the last person to show up.

"Sachman…" Maya stated. "I think the family symbol for them is Cinccino. That will tell you which bed is yours. All the beds here have the Pokémon family symbols on them."

Rosalie thanked the girls and made her way into the room. She wanted to take in her surroundings, but she was completely exhausted from her day. Taking a seat on the bed near the window, Rosalie looked at the Cinccino engraved in her headboard and remembered Marlena's words from earlier. They still hurt, but she would not let that bother her. She turned her gaze to the ceiling and wondered what her roommate would be like and what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

Edwin sighed as he looked around at his house and his housemates. As they were freshmen, they had to live in the western houses which were the least luxurious at Eastern Heights. There was only one floor with a smaller living room and kitchen area. They even had one bathroom while the sophomores had two and the juniors and seniors had three. Still, he had to admit that it was an improvement over the conditions that he was forced to endure at the Beginner's School.

His housemates were similar to him in that none were firstborn children. They would not inherit much and whatever skills they had did not matter. They were all afterthoughts like him. Jahmil was a Navarro and Setsuna was a Yodobashi, but they were unlike their older siblings and cousins. Edwin did not know much about Chris Hyman's family, but the boy's cheery nature suggested that he was not bothered by his position in life.

"Jahmil," Edwin said as Noctowl stopped flying around and perched himself on the window. "I assume that we are sharing a room again?"

"Sure thing!" Jahmil replied as he adjusted his crooked glasses. He was short and skinny for a Navarro, but had the same dark skin and large brown eyes as the rest of his family.

"That means I'm with you, Yodobashi!" Chris stated cheerfully.

Setsuna did not answer. The dark-haired boy simply looked at Chris, his eyes a sedated brown color, and nodded. He only spoke when absolutely necessary and while they did not agree on everything, Edwin had to admit to himself that he enjoyed Setsuna's company.

"Noctowl!" Edwin called out as he grabbed a book from the nearby shelf. "Let's go to the room."

Noctowl hooted and flapped his wings as Edwin and Jahmil entered their room. It was a small space with the bare essentials; two beds, two dressers, a computer desk, a window and a closet.

"What a joke…" Edwin muttered as he glanced at the Arcanine symbol on his bed and the Tauros one on Jahmil's.

"What?" Jahmil asked curiously.

Edwin shook his head. "Arcanine and Tauros. When someone thinks of a person representing those Pokémon they think of people like Marc and Anya and people like J.D., Lizette, and Kevin. They don't think of two skinny nerds like us. Setsuna's family uses Ampharos as its Pokémon symbol, but is there anything electrifying about him?"

"I don't get what you're saying…" Jahmil replied.

"Never mind…" Edwin mumbled. "It's getting late anyway…"

He took a seat at the computer desk and opened the book. _The Hitmon Brothers_ was a popular series of books about the adventures of four brothers; a Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, and Tyrogue. Edwin had a low opinion of the book series until he had read the first two books and discovered how relatable the characters were and how much they reminded him of himself and his siblings. Hitmonchan was Marc; the charismatic and brave leader who drove the others into adventure and protected the group. Hitmontop was Anya; the goofy and light-hearted member of the team who could always ease the tension in a tough situation. Edwin himself was Tyrogue; the youngest and smartest of the group who lived in the shadows of his older siblings. Even Hitmonlee reminded him of Jay with his calm, relaxed, and level-headed nature. Despite the fact that Jay was only Edwin's uncle, he had basically been brought up as a brother making it easier to draw similarities between him and Hitmonlee.

"Edwin!" Jahmil suddenly called out from his bed.

Edwin closed the book and turned around. "What is it?"

"Lizette just sent me a text," he replied. "She said that Lake Heights is open to everyone this year. Think about it for a moment; you, me, Setsuna, and Chris battling at the coolest place with all the upperclassmen. And Lizette said that a lot of girls will be there."

"If we go to Lake Heights…" Edwin started. "Not only will the upperclassmen wipe the floor with us in Pokémon battles, they'll probably kick our faces in especially if those thugs show up. They don't always stay at Black Heights, you know. It's no wonder that Lizette likes the place either. She's a decent battler and she can get more girls in a day than we can get in a year. Even if those girls were attracted to guys, they'd choose her before they choose us."

"You know, I _really_ missed your self-deprecation over the summer," Jahmil replied sarcastically.

Edwin shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, I call it like I see it. I don't have a problem with us going, but I'm just letting you know what's likely to happen. Besides, we might be able to get Chris to tagalong with us, but there's no way Setsuna is going to want to go."

"You just don't know how to talk to people," Jahmil told him. "I'll see if I can convince Setsuna to go to Lake Heights with us. As far as getting our faces kicked in, both of my cousins are going to be there and your brother, sister, and uncle will probably be there. If we go when they go, they'll watch our backs."

"Fine…" Edwin sighed. "I'll go, but don't say I didn't warn you…"

* * *

Marc and Arcanine approached the fountain that was in the center of the four pathways. As he stared at the Empoleon statue in the middle of it, memories of brighter times filled his thoughts. The _A-Listers_, they had been called by the students of Eastern Heights. The group consisted of himself, Rodrick McNamara, Natalia Woods, Rita Aldaine, and J.D. Navarro and they were always seen together at the Empoleon Fountain. Marc would be sending flirtatious gazes at the girls that walked by while Natalia would roll her eyes in annoyance. J.D. would be making cheesy jokes and Rita would be singing loudly. Rodrick would be at the center of attention either giving advice to younger students, whispering in a giggling Rita's ear, or arguing with Marc. They would constantly argue be it over something as complex as battle strategies or as simple as what they were eating later on. Their rivalry was just as strong as their friendship had been.

"_Aaaaaaaar!"_

Arcanine began barking and Marc knew that he wasn't alone. Dean Cardennis and Brodus Gellner approached him, but Marc's focus was on the third boy in between them. He had the long dark brown hair and piercing green eyes of the Tremaine family as well as their insufferable smirk. The boy's Crawdaunt glared at Arcanine and clamped his pincers. He growled in response clearly unafraid of the water Pokémon.

"It's been a while…" Oz Tremaine remarked.

"I ran into your boys earlier," Marc replied as he shifted his eyes to Dean and Brodus. "I guess pulling a knife on a fifteen-year old girl is their definition of badass."

"How about I shove it through your eye?" Dean interjected with a sinister smile. "Would that be badass enough for you, Shayler?"

"You're welcomed to try, Cardennis," Marc told him. "Just know that if you ever come at me with a knife, I will break every bone in your body and shove my foot so far up your ass, you'll be able to taste my shoe."

The three boys smirked at one another and Marc just scoffed at them. Oz Tremaine, Dean Cardennis, and Brodus Gellner were probably the most dangerous trio at the school, but they were not threatening to Marc at all. In fact, Oz was the least threatening member of his family. His father was cold and ruthless and his brother and aunt were completely psychotic, but Oz was no one important. During the previous year when he was running around with Dixon Neron, Marc had just written the pair off as wannabe tough guys. Oz would spend most of his time harassing the younger Stryker sister and making inappropriate gestures at her while Dixon would be trying to pick a fight with anyone in the general vicinity. It wasn't until Dixon killed Rodrick that Marc had acknowledged them as anything other than a nuisance. As far as Dean and Brodus went, Desmond Tremaine could and would eat Dean alive and Brodus just seemed to be more stupid than malicious, so Marc didn't really have much of an issue with him.

"You and I have problems with each other," Oz stated. "So, how about we settle it right now?"

"You want a battle with me?" Marc asked.

"I wasn't talking about a battle…" Oz replied.

Marc arched an eyebrow and rubbed his chin until he figured out was Oz was talking about. "You want to _fight_ me? First, I would beat you into a pulp and second, I have better things to do."

"Too bad," Oz said as he and his cronies circled Marc. "I promised my buddies a show and I can't break a promise."

Marc was ready to take on all three of them and Arcanine seemed to agree. Still, they were at a disadvantage with Crawdaunt's water type moves and Dean's knife. However, if he could reach his belt quickly enough and unleash Machamp and Cloyster, they might be able to gain an edge on the three thugs.

"_Hmm…three-on-one…or four-on-two if you count the Pokémon, water type against fire type, and one person has a knife. Hardly fair. If someone is not willing to fight alone, they obviously lack the self-confidence to do so…"_

Strolling down the north path was a young man with a Gallade. He was tall, long-limbed, and slim, with black hair pulled into a short, neat pony tail at the nape of his neck. He had high cheek bones, a strong jaw line, dark eyes that almost seem black, and slightly pale skin. The young man was very regal looking and from the way he walked, Marc would actually believe he was a prince of some sort if he didn't already know who he was.

"Come on," Oz told Dean and Brodus. "Let's get out of here…"

"Next time, Shayler…" Dean added with a smirk.

Oz recalled Crawdaunt to his poké ball and the three boys disappeared down the eastern path. The young man with the Gallade approached Marc and gave a curt nod. Marc extended his hand.

"Thanks for the help, Motoshima," he said.

The other boy shook Marc's hand. "Takuya," he told him politely. "If we are in the same house this year, we should be on a first name basis."

"Sounds like a plan," Marc replied.

Marc and Takuya had been acquaintances in the past due to the Shaylers and the Motoshimas being on good terms and the fact that their younger sisters were close friends. They had only had a handful of conversations, but they had enjoyed each other's company nonetheless. When Marc had started changing his reckless and immature ways after Rodrick's death, Takuya had noticed. Their last conversation had been at the start of the summer and for the first time, they had acknowledged the respect between each other.

"Our housemates are Sebastian Leclerc and Carlos Holloway," Takuya explained as they walked down the northern path. "I assume you're familiar with their families if you don't already know who they are. Sebastian is a kind and charitable person as long as you stay on his good side. Carlos is a bit of a clown, but he is a very friendly person and a great battler. They're rooming together, so you and I have the top room."

"Wait," Marc said. "If you've already been by the house, why were you coming down the trail?"

"It's embarrassing to say…" Takuya started. "But I'm afraid that I dropped my phone earlier and Gallade and I were searching for it when we overheard those imbeciles. I saw you deal with them earlier when they were harassing the Sachman girl and I was impressed by your actions, so I decided to help you. I'm ashamed that I didn't do so earlier. As for my phone, I suppose I can just buy a new one, but it would be a hassle at this point in time."

After a few more moments of conversation, the two arrived at the brick house and recalled Arcanine and Gallade to their poké balls before walking in. Marc had noticed the four Pokémon symbols engraved on the front door; Milotic for Motoshima, Garchomp for Holloway, Meganium for Leclerc, and Arcanine for Shayler. The house was a standard senior house with a large living room and kitchen area, spiral steps, and expensive furniture. There were a few extra closets in the senior homes as well as a good sized yard for the Pokémon.

"_The legendary Marc Shayler has arrived! Time to party!"_

Carlos Holloway rushed in from the downstairs bedroom and slammed the door behind him, his messy black hair all over his tanned face and his dark eyes dancing with life. The tall boy balled his hand and held his fist out.

"Thanks for the warm welcome," Marc joked as he fist bumped Carlos. "But I'm not really into partying to the break of dawn all that much anymore."

"Yeah, I heard about what happened last year…" Carlos replied. "But listen, I got your back man! You need something, let me know!" He walked back over to the downstairs bedroom and started beating on the door. "Sebastian, show some manners and come speak to our new roommate!"

The young man slowly opened the door and Marc did his best to put on a friendly smile. Like Carlos, Sebastian Leclerc had messy black hair and tan skin. His eyes were a goldenrod color and he had a slight muscular build. While Marc and Sebastian were not enemies, Sebastian had little respect for Marc's past antics and Marc knew that it would be a while before they were even considered acquaintances. Still, Sebastian shook hands with Marc before taking a seat on the couch.

"Everything is already set up upstairs," Takuya explained. "Now-"

He was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the front door. He let out a sigh and Marc could tell that he probably did not like being interrupted while he was speaking. Marc went to answer the door and was nearly floored by the sight. The girl at the door was slender and long-limbed with pale skin, red lips, and long, dark hair pulled half up and held in place by a flowered hair clip leaving the rest of it falling down her shoulder blades. She had the same dark eyes as Takuya and had more of a striking beauty about her than the classic beauty of Marlena Sachman or the genial beauty of Natalia Woods.

"I know you're a Motoshima," Marc told her with a grin. He could feel himself slipping back into his old habits, but he was not concerned about that at the moment. "Just give me one minute to see if I know your first name."

"You have one second," the girl shot back with a smirk.

"Misaki?" Takuya said as he made his way over to the door. "What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Nice to see you too, cousin," Misaki said. "I have something for you. The Monet twins found it and brought it to me."

She handed Takuya a white phone and he looked at it for a moment before placing it inside of his slim jacket.

"So…" Marc continued in hopes of starting a conversation. "You're friends with the Monet Twins? Ask them if they know me. I'm the heir to Shayler estate."

"No you're not…" Misaki replied as she cocked her head a bit. "Marc Shayler is."

Marc looked at her in confusion. "Um…_I'm_ Marc Shayler."

"She knows who you are," Takuya stated. "Misaki likes to play games."

Misaki grinned as she poked her head inside of the house. She gave a wave to Carlos and Sebastian before turning her attention back to the two boys who were at the door.

"I believe a thank you is in order, Takuya," she stated. "I didn't come all the way here just to see your dazzling smile."

"Thank you, cousin," he told her in his usual cordial tone. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye…" she replied.

Misaki glanced at Marc once more and he expected her to say something, but the girl simply grinned slyly before walking off. Oddly enough, her silence was even more alluring to him. Takuya shut the door and Marc was quickly snapped out of his lust daze.

"Sorry about that…" Marc told him earnestly. "I don't mean any disrespect."

"I understand," Takuya said as he headed for the spiral steps. "To be honest, I should be protecting you from her. There are not too many people who can handle Misaki."

Luckily for Marc, he was not most people. However, thoughts of Misaki were second to his need for sleep. It had been a long day and as he finally stretched out on his bed, he thought of everything that had taken place. It had felt good battling with Edwin, helping Rosalie out, and meeting his roommates. Oz Tremaine would probably be a nuisance and there was the troubling thought of the Tremaines taking over McNamara Corporation, but those were problems to be dealt with on another day.

* * *

**A/N: Apologies for the long wait everyone. I've been extremely busy these last couple of months, but I think I have control over everything now. I'm still wondering if there are too many characters to memorize. Hopefully I can introduce them all without everyone getting confused. I'll likely have an index on my forum for all the families for you guys to check out if you get confused.**

**I do have a couple new fics coming in the future if you want to submit OCs for them. One of them is already up on my profile and on my forum.**

**Speaking of the forum, as always feel free to come by and chat.**

**Until next time!**


	5. Rising Heights

**Rising Heights**

The blast of water from Golduck brought Jay back to his senses. He had zoned out for several minutes and immediately regretted hanging out with Anya before going to visit the headmistress. He was stretched out on a bench outside her office while Golduck sat down alongside him as they waited for the headmistress to finish her appointment. Jay dusted himself off and fixed his clothes, but the smell was unmistakable. He heard voices coming from down the hallway and turned in the direction to see if it was anyone he knew.

"_So, my brother told me about his housemates and..."_

The voice belonged to Yue Wang, Yuu's twin sister. She had the same honey-brown eyes and jet black hair as he did and a small horizontal scar underneath her left eye. Her personality reminded Jay of Anya if she were a bit more reserved and not as nice. She even had a somewhat deep voice like her.

"Speak of the devil…" Yue remarked.

"Jay? Are you alright? Your eyes are bloodshot."

The second girl was Fiona Flynn. She was an attractive girl with straight red hair, slightly tan skin, and bright blue eyes hidden behind thin framed-glasses. She was easier to deal with than both of the Wang twins and Jay figured she could help him.

"The thing is…" Jay started. "My eyes are red because I haven't had much sleep and-"

"He's high," Yue interrupted bluntly. "We could smell you from down the hall. Come on Jay, I'd expect this from Anya, but not you."

"Whatever…" Jay replied. "Listen, I have drops, so I can get rid of the red eyes, but do either of you have some perfume or something that I could use?"

"No," Fiona replied. "But I think we can help you out."

Jay arched an eyebrow as Fiona reached for a poké ball and tossed it into the air. Butterfree materialized and immediately began circling around Jay.

"_Freeeeee!"_

"Sweet Scent," Fiona commanded.

Butterfree flapped her wings and a pink, sweet-smelling mist covered Jay. As he was already in a clouded state of mind, the scent did not make Jay feel much different, but it definitely had an effect on Golduck. The water Pokémon slowly relaxed before slouching down on the bench. Jay sniffed his clothes as Fiona recalled Butterfree. The scent had worked and Jay made a note to head to a department store soon.

"Thanks!" Jay told the girls as he hugged them. "You guys rock!"

"Any time," Fiona said cheerfully. "Come on, Yue, let's go."

"See you at Lake Heights…" Yue added.

The moment the two girls disappeared from sight, the door to Headmistress Hollis' office opened and Oz Tremaine stepped out with his usual scowl. He noticed Jay and cocked his head a bit before opening his mouth to speak.

"Hollis looks even hotter than last year," Oz stated. "I guess being forced to sit in her office won't be so bad if I get in trouble. That'll be one of the few decent things about having to come back to this stupid school. It doesn't matter though since all these families' days as wealthy socialites are numbered anyway."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Jay questioned.

"Tch," Oz scoffed. "You've been with the Shaylers your whole life, but I'd like to think that you'd at least be smarter than them. It's well known that any man who gets married to my aunt Wilona doesn't exactly have a long lifespan. Once McNamara drops dead, their family is extinct…"

"And the Tremaines get control over the most powerful company in the Eastern Heights branch," Jay finished. "And I'm gonna guess that as soon as that happens, Osmond Tremaine is going straight for the other families in order to take all of their wealth and assets. I think I have an idea on which family is at the top of your dad's list after his little takeover is finished."

Oz folded his arms and shrugged. "I don't make the decisions. I'm just being realistic. The Tremaines are going to win, so everyone might as well accept it. The Motoshimas, the Navarros, the Fanshers, it doesn't matter what any of them think. Anyone who sides with us will be rewarded, but anyone against us is going to be wiped out. You're the last person with the Aderyn name. If you're smart, you'd join up with us and leave the Shaylers to rot."

"Are you serious right now?" Jay snapped. "Listen, I might not be a Shayler, but Stephanie is my sister and she and her husband took me in and raised me since I was a baby. Her kids treat me like a brother and I know that might not mean anything in _your_ family, but we don't turn our backs on each other…or run away from problems that we cause."

"Really?" Oz countered, his indifferent demeanor slightly shaken. "You're pulling the Rodrick card? Because it's not like I haven't heard it a thousand times since I got here. My back was turned when Dixon pulled out the knife, but that's right it doesn't matter because I'm a Tremaine. The Shaylers are so perfect and the Tremaines are just the evil scumbags. Let's not mention the dozens of girls who've been in and out of Marc Shayler's room in the past three years. I'm surprised that Natalia Woods was the only one who got knocked up. Or maybe we should talk about Anya Shayler the Magnificent Stoner?"

"None of that compares to anything your family has done," Jay told him. "You know that better than anyone."

Oz let out a laugh and shook his head. "It's all about family and friends at this place. It's not like there's individual people in groups like those. If my aunt or my brother kills someone does that make me responsible? If my friend kills someone, does that make me responsible? Think about that…"

He headed down the hallway and Jay let out a sigh of relief. However, he had to admit that Oz had a decent point. He shouldn't be judged by someone else's crimes, but it wasn't as if Oscar Tremaine was a saint in the first place. He had bullied and harassed a large amount of students in his years at Eastern Heights and was generally a menace.

"_That was certainly…informative…"_

Jay turned towards the voice and found himself face to face with the headmistress. Francesca Hollis was a tall and willowy woman with honey blond hair and warm, light brown eyes. The headmistress was as intimidating as she was beautiful. The Sunflora Pokémon symbol was visible on her coat as she ushered Jay inside of her office.

"I guess you heard all of that?" Jay remarked as he took a seat.

"I admit that I am quite the eavesdropper…" Hollis replied.

"Well don't worry," Jay told her. "We weren't about to fight or battle or anything like that. One thing I can say about Oz is that he probably cares less about all these family wars than I do. To be honest, if the Shaylers weren't involved, I wouldn't even concern myself with any of it."

The headmistress nodded her head and rubbed her chin. "Jason, if you were not involved in any of these politics, what would be your plans?"

"Easy," Jay started. "I'd marry Selena Fansher, get a beach house, surf all day and play my guitar all night."

"And your family is stopping you from pursuing all of this?" Hollis asked curiously.

"They're more important than some stupid fantasy," Jay explained. "Besides, there are a lot of other things that make that goal next to impossible. Anyway, what exactly did you want to see me about? I thought you were going to talk to me about everything that happened last year."

Hollis shook her head. "That is what therapy is for. It would be unfair to make you talk about something you are uncomfortable with. There are times for talking about the past and there are times for talking about the present and the future. I'm not going to keep you here any longer today. Although, you will see to it that you are sober the next time you come to my office or there will be consequences. I look forward to our next meeting. You are free to leave."

"Um…thanks…"

Jay stood up from his seat and walked out of the door. Golduck was still slouched on the bench and Jay quickly recalled him to his poké ball. Kevin had met him at the end of the hall and they returned to their house to get ready to go to Lake Heights.

"Look at Yuu," Kevin said as he shook his head and pointed to the couch. "Sleep as usual. Guess he doesn't want to go."

"What about Bo?" Jay asked. "Is he here?"

"Leah came and got him while you were out," Kevin replied. "It looks like it's just going to be me and you. So get your stuff that you need and let's head out…"

* * *

Black Heights was what remained of the old school building when it was torn down decades earlier and a new one was built to the south of the woods. It was basically a junkyard with numerous wild Pokémon in and around it, but the students who hung around there were the real threat. They were all from families of conspicuous natures and were often bored with everyday routine. The students would come to Black Heights to enjoy themselves and unleash their darker sides. There was not a night that went by where there wasn't some type of fight or battle going on at Blake Heights and on rare occasions, they escalated to something much worse as Oz Tremaine could easily attest to.

"Cacturne!" Dean commanded as Oz and Brodus looked on. "Finish off that stupid Ursaring with Needle Arm!"

"_Caaaaaa!"_

The vicious attack hit the wild Ursaring in the abdomen, sending him to the ground. Ursaring was clearly defeated, but it was obvious that neither Dean nor Cacturne were finished tormenting the Pokémon. Several other students had been watching the battle and a few were disturbed by Dean's brutality, but did not dare say anything. Truthfully, Oz did not understand why Dean scared people at all. He certainly was not afraid of Dean or any Cardennis. They were nothing compared to his brother. Oz remembered Desmond's explosive temper and he could still feel the punches and kicks when he clutched his ribs. Oz's only solace was that Dez's crueler acts were reserved for those who were against the Tremaines and as awful as he was, Aunt Wilona was the one and only person Oz truly feared.

"Hey!" Brodus called out after Dean ordered Cacturne to assault the fallen Ursaring a few more times. "Come on, Dean, that's enough!"

"Buzz off, fat boy!" Dean shot back. "If you don't like it, maybe you can trade places with Ursaring and I'll wreck you instead? You're about the same size anyway."

"What?!" Brodus yelled as he and Dean got face to face. "What was that?! You want a piece of me?! Go ahead and try something!"

"Don't test me," Dean replied. "I will screw your life up-"

"Hey!" Oz interrupted. "That's enough. Come on, let's go."

Dean grinned at Brodus before backing off and recalling Cacturne. Oz shook his head in annoyance and let out a sigh. Dean, Dixon, Desmond. He wondered why he was always stuck with the psychotic loons. At least Brodus was more stupid than sadistic and Oz could see that even he was disgusted by Dean at times. However, he had to admit to himself that these were two of the few people who would tolerate him and he had to simply put up with them for the time being.

"What are you two doing after Lake Heights tonight?" Oz asked in an attempt to cool things down.

"The Monet twins if we're lucky…" Dean answered with a grin.

"Yeah!" Brodus added.

Oz should have known that he wasn't going to get a non-lewd answer from either of them and decided to spend the rest of the walk in silence. Lake Heights was on the opposite side of the woods and had an entirely different atmosphere than Black Heights. The lake that dominated the area was actually a creek and the Volbeat and Illumise that flew around gave Lake Heights a much more alive feel than the desolate Black Heights. The 'good' students went to Lake Heights to have fun, but it was not uncommon for the Black Heights thugs to show up and ruin everyone's night.

"I spot some freshmen…" Dean remarked. "Wanna go mess with 'em?"

"Nah," Oz answered. "One of them is a Shayler and all of them are here tonight. I'm not in the mood for any of those hotheads."

"Whatever…" Dean replied. "I've already found something better to do. Brodus, come on."

Oz noticed that they were looking in the direction of the Monet twins, Cali and Tori. They were completely identical and the only way to tell them apart was by looking at the streaks in their black hair. Cali had red ones and Tori had blue ones. Dean led Brodus over to the twins and shoved the guy who was talking to them out of the way. Cali smiled and wrapped her arms around Dean's neck as Brodus spun Tori around. Oz left his friends to their devices and started to roam around.

"Thanks!" he said as he snatched the bottle of green tea out of a passing by Maki Nishihara's hand. Her friend, Tina Sorabella shot Oz a glare, but Maki simply urged her to keep walking.

Oz began drinking as he continued along. He was challenged to a battle by a sophomore and had completely dominated him with one move from Crawdaunt. Lake Heights was turning out to be pretty boring and Oz was about to leave when he saw her standing inside the small booth. A select group of students were in charge of the snack stand and Oz figured that Leah Stryker was the last person on last year's list. He approached the booth and cut in line before hitting the bell several times to get Leah's attention.

"Back of the line, Oz…" Leah said clearly.

"They let me cut," Oz replied. "Go ahead and ask them?"

The terrified students simply nodded their heads and Oz grinned at Leah. She was one of his favorite people to harass and he only wished her sister Ivy was around to hear what he was about to say. He had originally ignored the Strykers for several years, but changed when he overheard Ivy mentioning that she was a fan of Wilona's. After that, Oz became a thorn in their side and even though Ivy was the nastier of the two, Leah was his favorite target.

"Just tell me what you want," Leah told him.

"Hmm…" Oz started. "Let me think. I want…a blonde with big blue eyes and a frown on her face right now."

"You're holding up the line…" Leah said, miraculously keeping her composure.

Oz turned to face the students that were standing behind him and shot them an icy glare. "Beat it…" he ordered.

The frightened students scattered and Oz moved closer to the booth. Once he was able to look inside, he noticed Leah's twin brother standing by the frozen treats. Oz had never even spoken to Bo before and for several years he was unaware that the Strykers even had a brother. When he was younger, Desmond would tell him stories of how the Stryker women killed any male children they had and it had terrified him when he first met Leah. He knew now that his older brother just enjoyed tormenting him and was himself a bigger monster than any of the Strykers could ever hope to be.

Leah was strange to him though. Of course her being pretty was a major factor in his attraction towards her, but there were a ton of pretty girls at Eastern Heights. Oz liked that Leah wasn't afraid of him, but at the same time she wasn't stupid, insane, or mean-spirited. Even in her radical years, she was still less irritating than half the girls at the stupid academy.

"So," Oz continued. "I heard that you're rooming with the She-Shayler, Baby Motoshima, and the Fansher chick this year. Man, that's hot. Did you ladies have a pillow fight last night? I'll be a Stryker man-slave if it meant I got a piece of that action."

"I know what you're trying to do," Leah replied. "You're trying to get me upset by acting like the jackass you are. It's funny because I don't even think you're a sexist. I do think you're possibly psychotic though…"

"Got me on that one," Oz told her. "Men suck. Women suck. Pokémon…well they're alright, but I hate everyone else equally. As far as psychotic goes, pay a visit to anyone in my family. My brother Dez would be more than happy to redefine the word 'psychotic' for you. Anyway, what's your brother doing in there?"

"Leave him alone…" Leah warned.

Oz frowned at her. "I was just asking what he's doing in there. Don't get all offensive." He took a sip of his stolen green tea and ogled Leah until she was visibly frustrated.

"What will it take for me to get you to leave me alone?" she asked with a sigh.

"Hey, if you want me to leave, just say so."

Leah arched an eyebrow. "Okay, if it's that easy. Leave."

"_Who wants to go for a little swim?!"_

They turned their gazes to the lake and noticed that Dean, Brodus, and a few others were grabbing fully-clothed people and throwing them into the lake against their wishes. Those who tried to fight back with their Pokémon found themselves up against Dean's Honchkrow and Cacturne. Oz laughed and was about to take off to join them when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Oz, wait…" Leah said softly. "I want you to promise me something."

"I don't make promises…" Oz replied. "Too many things happen for me to be able to keep them."

"Look, I just want you to make sure those goons of yours leave my brother alone. Can you at least do that for me?"

Oz frowned and balled his fists. As much as he tormented Leah Stryker, she would always win because he would do whatever she asked. His father would be angered if he knew that Oz was letting anyone have so much control over him, but it couldn't be helped. He figured that he would just get over her when he finally left Eastern Heights for good, but until then he was putty in her hands, not that he would ever admit it.

"Fine…" he sighed. "I'll see what I can do, but don't get your hopes up…"

* * *

"_Look out!" _

Anya cheered loudly as she and Yuki rode through the heights on her Rapidash. Yuki knew that her father would not approve of such foolish activities, but Anya was her closest friend and she did not want to make her sad. She held on tight as Rapidash leaped over one of the picnic tables by the lake and continued forward.

"Almost there!" Anya shouted.

Most of the students that went to Lake Heights stayed towards the southern and western entrances. However, there was a small trail that led to the northern side of the lake and it became obvious to Yuki that they were heading there. Anya stopped at the beginning of the trail where they noticed Selena and Leah waiting for them. Leah's brother, Bo was standing behind her as well and Yuki figured they were waiting for them.

"You two finally got here…" Leah stated as Anya helped Yuki off of Rapidash. "I closed the snack stand twenty minutes ago."

"You two went on the Death Drop?" Anya asked curiously.

Selena shook her head. "We just got here and we're about to head back to the house. We heard the senior girls were daring some of the juniors to-"

She was interrupted by the sound of laughing and footsteps. Yuki turned her attention to the trail and saw Jay Aderyn, Kevin Navarro, Fiona Flynn, and Yue Wang in their swimsuits. They were dripping wet and from the looks in their eyes, they were terrified and excited at the same time.

"You guys go on the Death Drop?!" Anya asked Jay.

"We went…" Jay said through deep breaths. "It…was…awesome…"

"Did you hear Kevin screaming?" Yue added.

"His cousin was laughing louder than anyone," Fiona remarked.

Everyone laughed as Kevin shook the water from his hair. "You guys are jerks," he stated. "That was a legitimately terrifying situation. Um…anyway…er…Yuki, I-I have something for you."

"For me?" Yuki questioned.

Kevin handed her a small cluster of marsh marigolds. They grew on the northern side of the lake and while she could have gotten them herself, Yuki thought that she would have a hard time arranging them as perfectly as he did in a short amount of time.

"They're lovely…" she said with a smile. "Thank you, Kevin."

"We're going to head back now," Leah informed them.

Jay turned around in front of Selena and knelt. "Need a lift, Fansher?" he asked with a grin.

"Umm…" Selena mumbled as her face reddened. Yuki thought that it was so strange that someone as composed as Selena could be shaken up that easily. She was opportunistic, business-like, and a perfectionist while Jay was calm, relaxed, and a bit of a dreamer. While they had their differences, Yuki understood that you couldn't pick who you fell in love with.

"Yuck!" Anya said loudly. "Flowers and piggyback rides! Don't care about people being in love!"

"Agreed!" Yue added.

The two girls high-fived and Selena rolled her eyes at them as she climbed atop Jay's shoulders. He immediately took off running at full speed and Selena's screams were quickly heard as she fought to hold on to him. Yue and Kevin followed after them and Fiona started off, but stopped when she noticed Bo.

"Leah, this is your brother, right?" Fiona started. "Hi, I'm Fiona." She held out a hand and waited for Bo to shake it. He stared at her outstretched hand and Yuki wondered what was going on through his mind. She did notice Anya shooting Leah a puzzled look before the other girl opened her mouth.

"It's okay, Bo," Leah said. "She's a nice person."

"N-nice to meet you…" Bo suddenly said as he shook hands with Fiona. "I'm…Bo."

"He can talk?!" Anya gasped. "Why do people always say that you guys ripped his vocal cords out?"

Bo recoiled and Leah facepalmed. The Strykers treatment of Bo was one of the biggest topics of gossip among the community, right up there with "Did you hear about the Sachman illegitimate daughter?" and "Who is Jason Aderyn's mother?" Yuki never cared much for rumors and they were often exaggerated and overblown. Still, she knew Bo did not have an easy life and felt for him.

"Come on, Yuki!" Anya said cheerfully as she hopped back on Rapidash. "The Death Drop is waiting for us."

Yuki wished that Anya could have arranged that last sentence a bit better. She climbed on Rapidash and the fire horse took off down the trail. After a few more seconds, they stopped in front of a hill and got off of Rapidash. Anya recalled him to his poké ball and the two girls started up the hill.

"May I ask you something?" Yuki suddenly said.

"Sure," Anya replied. "What is it?"

"You are the only girl of you parents, correct?" Yuki continued. "What is it like?"

"Well…" Anya started. "When you're not the oldest kid in these snooty families, you don't have much expectations, doubly so if you're a girl. Marc is getting groomed to take over the Shayler business and as soon as Jay turns eighteen, most of the Aderyn assets go to him. They have responsibilities and I get to do whatever I want. I don't understand why Edwin is always complaining. It's a pretty sweet deal and of course, I'll help them out if they needed. Plus, my parents won't try to unload me off on some douche, so that's good too."

Yuki nodded her head as she listened closely. The Shaylers were an unusual family amongst the Eastern Heights community due to the fact that that there was no in-fighting, no real concern about the opinions of others, and no overly-strict and demanding parental figures. They were not without their issues though and their infamous seventy-five year rivalry with the Tremaines was the biggest one. Yuki was concerned with the fate of her best friend and her family especially due to the fact that the Tremaines seemed to be spreading their influence into McNamara Corporation. She got the thought out of her head and continued up the hill until they saw the three girls at the top.

"Hey!" Anya shouted. "We're here for the Death Drop!"

She threw some mud at the three senior girls to get their attentions. Black-haired Dahlia Van D'ello was the leader. She had the same deeply tanned skin and light brown, almost goldenrod eyes as most of her family did. Brown-haired Lizette Navarro was next. She had the typical warm brown eyes and light brown skin of the Navarros and Yuki thought about how much she resembled Kevin. The last girl was Arielle Finch. She had the long curly cinnamon colored hair of the Finch family as well as the pointy ears and mischievous looking icy blue eyes framed by black glasses.

"Your cousin was here…" Dahlia told Yuki. "You just missed her."

"That's too bad," Yuki responded. "I'm sure she had something important to do."

"Anya, your uncle was the first one to jump when his group came through a second ago," Arielle informed her. "Shayler-ness is rubbing off on him."

"He did better than my cousin that's for sure…" Lizette remarked. "Kevin's screams sound like an eight year old girl."

"Alright…" Dahlia began. "Enough talk. Let me go over the challenge. The Death Drop is fifteen feet high. If you can't swim…well you shouldn't even be here. No one's ever died from it despite the name. You jump off the ridge into the lake and then swim back to the trail. Got it?"

Yuki wondered why she let Anya get her into insane stunts like the one they were about to do. She wanted to back out, not out of fear for the challenge, but out of fear that she would get in trouble. She should be studying so that when the parents started visiting soon, she could show her father how well she was doing. However, she could not leave Anya and at the moment being a good friend mattered more.

"Let's get to it," Anya said as she removed her shirt. "We wore our swimsuits underneath, so we were prepared. This is nothing anyway. There's no way we're backing out of this, right Yuki?"

"R-right…" Yuki replied as she fumbled with her dress.

Once they finished, they handed their clothes to the three senior girls and were left alone. Yuki watched them disappear down the hill and turned back to Anya, who was strangely still and quiet. She was staring down at the lake below and it looked as if she were frightened.

"Anya, are you okay?" Yuki asked in a concerned tone.

"Um…" Anya mumbled. "R-rumor has it that Dez Tremaine, Oz's older b-brother, used to um…let his Sharpedo loose to scare people w-when they were taking the challenge. What if it's s-still down there…or what if it had babies?"

For all of her bravado, it turned out that Anya was more afraid of the Death Drop than Yuki was. She knew that she was one of the few people that Anya Shayler ever showed fear in front of. Even her brothers had rarely seen her frightened.

"Sharpedo can't survive for long in fresh water," Yuki assured her. She grabbed Anya's hand gently. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"You promise?"

Yuki smiled. "I promise."

The jump into the water was quick, as were their screams, and Yuki immediately felt the coldness of the lake upon her. She and Anya swam around the Magikarp and Goldeen and towards the trail. When they made it back to land, the two girls gave each other a quick hug and searched around for the seniors, but they were nowhere to be found.

"And…those bitches stole our clothes…" Anya said nonchalantly. "I bet it was Arielle's idea. She's always pulling pranks."

"Our poké balls and cell phones were with our clothes…" Yuki said worriedly as she began to search the bushes. "Do you think they put them here close by?"

"Nah," Anya replied. "If anything, they probably are going to take them to our house. We'll ask Selena and Leah when we get there…"

Yuki tuned Anya out and focused on the strange wooden board that was on the tree behind the group of bushes she was in. She wondered why it was there and curiosity was taking over. It was hardly noticeable, but Yuki couldn't help but to touch it. She forced her palm on the board and it broke apart, revealing a small hollow in the tree.

"What's this…?" she said as she reached inside and pulled something out.

Yuki and Anya gazed at the object. It was a faded light blue book with a white ribbon around it and the initials C.J.M. on it in large cursive letters.

"Looks like someone's old diary…" Anya remarked as she held it. "It's in pretty bad shape. I bet it's illegible."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Yuki replied. "I guess we should try to get back now."

The two girls made their way back to the lake front and Yuki blushed at the stares and catcalls that were made at them. No one actually bothered them though and they were nearly on the path back to the school when they were approached by Edwin Shayler and his group of young friends. Just by looking at the other three boys, Yuki could tell that one was a Navarro, one was a Yodobashi, and one was a Hyman. The Yodobashi boy in particular seemed a bit nervous to be around them.

"You came to Lake Heights?" Anya asked in disbelief.

"It was Jahmil's idea…" Edwin said. "But…it has been pretty fun. Anyway, I have something for you two."

Edwin handed the girls their clothes, cell phones, and poké balls. He explained that the senior girls had brought them to him when they noticed him and told him to give the clothes and possessions back to the girls. Anya gave him a hug before wringing out her wet hair on her younger brother's head.

"Hey!" Edwin yelled.

"Sorry, baby bro," Anya told him. "You guys can have this." She handed the Yodobashi boy the book they had found. "Take good care of it, sweetie. Maybe some lucky girl will come claim it from you. Come on, Yuki, I'm exhausted. Let's get on Rapidash and ride off in the sunset!"

"Anya, its night time…" Yuki reminded her.

"Moonlight then!" Anya shouted cheerfully. "We need to get some sleep. There are three pretty girls in need of a little payback…"

* * *

**A/N: This one came out much quicker than the last one, so I guess I'm making some progress. We learned some things in this chapter and the plot is finally getting going. Next chapter, classes actually start, so if your OC hasn't appeared yet, they're likely to show up then. **

**Check out my profile if you're interested into submitting OCs for either of my two upcoming stories. If you're into swords and other medieval coolness, check the upcoming Sunrise Sommeray. If you like traveling around on a boat and seeing new locations then Around the World is probably the fic for you. If you like both, that's even better.**

**Come to the forums to submit OCs or just hang out. We're very friendly!**

**Until next time! **


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